


No Way Out

by 3fandays



Category: Andy Black - Fandom, As It Is (Band), Black Veil Brides, bands - Fandom, emo - Fandom, rock - Fandom
Genre: Mystery, Tour
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:54:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26042272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3fandays/pseuds/3fandays
Summary: Co-created by Chantal, who can be found on Wattpad under the name 19chanti96Me and my friend Chantal wrote this story together, which takes place during a time when As It Is and Andy Black tour the US together – all seems well, yet when Andy and Patty go get some snacks together in a small town called Creekwell, they find that the town is not what it appears to be…Chantal writes the chapters in Andy’s POV, and I write the chapters in Patty's POV
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	1. Prologue

Patty’s POV

I was so excited to start touring the States with Andy. It did not matter if we had to be driving all night across highways that stretched into nothingness, my mind racing with endless possibilities and my stomach rumbling – honestly, I was stoked! Andy Black and As It Is, together at last! This tour was going to be amazing, I was sure of it.

Though to be completely honest, I was quite relieved when we finally made a pit-stop to get some snacks – I really was quite hungry.

Me and Andy decided to be the ones getting the snacks, letting the others doze on the tour buses. I was very awake already and eager to see the sights, and Andy did not mind a midnight stroll either.

This also meant me and Andy could get some quality time together away from the noisiness and hustle of the bus life, and I looked forward to getting to know him a bit better. He always seemed so cool and composed, and he was friendly whenever I met him – but I never before had the chance to _really_ talk with him, you know, to really bond. And what better time was there for deep conversation than midnight in the middle of nowhere!

I was determined to enjoy our walk into town, though up close the town looked rather un-spectacular. ‘Welcome to Creekwell’, a sign said. It looked like any other small American town, where only a few people still roamed the streets to go to the local supermarket and get some late night booze.

Of course I did not get any booze, being straight-edge. In fact, when we arrived in the supermarket it was hard to find anything suitable for me at all, since I’m also vegan and most of the snacks here seemed to be cheese related.

Luckily Andy, having spent much more time in America than me, knew which things to pick. He saw me frowning at some orange looking crisps and waved a packet of milk-free strawberry candies at me: “Try these!”

I took them gratefully and smiled. “Thanks.”

“I’m vegan too”, he said.

“Oh really? That’s awesome!”

After that we payed for the snacks and talked all the way back to the buses about how we came to be vegan and what it meant to us. We already made a small head start on the strawberry sweets, popping them into our mouths in between speaking and laughing.

I felt as though we really had made a connection now, and that made me even more excited for the big tour to come. We were talking so excitedly together that we did not notice the streets become even more quiet at first. Nor did we notice how odd it was that there was no noise at all coming from our buses.

We only noticed it when we were right in front of them, our arms filled with snacks, yet our stomachs suddenly filled with dread upon hearing the deadly silence. I looked at Andy and frowned, wondering if he knew if the others were playing some kind of prank on us. Yet he returned the same worried face to me.

“Guys?”, I called out uncertainly. “We’ve got the snacks!”

Yet no reply came.

Andy, still frowning, put his snacks down on the pavement and went to As It Is’ tour bus. Gently, he pushed open the door.

He leaned inside, and suddenly his body jerked still. He leaned back and turned his head to me.

“Oh no. Patty, they’re all gone.”

I dropped the strawberry candies on the ground, not even seeing them sprawl across the pavement as I stared into Andy’s fearful eyes.


	2. Spirits Of The Streets That Are Abandoned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Co-created by Chantal, who can be found on Wattpad under the name 19chanti96
> 
> Me and my friend Chantal wrote this story together, which takes place during a time when As It Is and Andy Black tour the US together – all seems well, yet when Andy and Patty go get some snacks together in a small town called Creekwell, they find that the town is not what it appears to be…
> 
> Chantal writes the chapters in Andy’s POV, and I write the chapters in Patty's POV

Andy’s POV

  
I couldn’t even find a clear thought. This was a fear that noone will ever understand unless he experienced it before. All those common fears like crowded places, the dark, spiders, heights or anything people can get scared of is a nice experience conpared to the the fear Patty and me experienced. Without noticing, i kicked a bag of my snacks on the pavement. The bag popped open and it's content mixed up with the strawberry candies Patty just dropped. 

  
Everyone was just gone! Vanished! Disappered without a trace! Every single one! The rest of As It Is, their crew, my whole crew, my band and yes even Lonny, my great friend and bassist for my solo project and he also just joined my main band Black Veil Brides after the sudden departure of Ashley. 

  
Looking back i noticed that the sign saying „Welcome to Creekwell“ had changed compared to how it looked like as we went into the town. Before, it used to be a rather unspectacular stone, maybe reminding of a giant tombstone a little bit, with the letters on it but now it looked timeworn. The Letters were fading out and the stone was overgrown by moss. 

  
„Patty what is this!“ i yelled at him fearfully. From the moment we started talking on our way to get the snacks i knew this could be the beginning of a great friendship. Back then we didn’t know what would happen next but now as we were in this together i got a feeling that we would grow even closer, if we get out of this alive…

  
As i yelled at him Patty finally noticed the changes of the sign and shouted back at me „What the actual fuck? I swear to god the sign looked fine a minute ago!“ 

  
Without a word i just grabbed Pattys hand and ran back into the town with him. If we wanted to get out of here and see the others again we have to notice all the changes and look for signs and simply clutch at ever straw!

  
I made sure to stay together with Patty. Not that he disappers too if i left him at the buses. As long as we have no idea what is going on here everything and everyone is in danger and if we were going to disappear too then together. 

  
I couldn’t believe my own eyes! The whole town wasn’t the same as it’s been a moment before! Everything looked decayed and there was not a single Person other then Patty and me and it didn’t seem like this town has seen any human in years. All it knew was decay! From the way it looked it must’ve been abandoned for at least 10-15 years! 

  
I walked those empty streets with Patty, checking for signs but we only seemed to be seeing decay and more decay! We've been seeing houses where the last residents must've left years ago. Most windows of those houses are gone, the shards of the glass splattered on the floor inside. Some doors of those houses are still perfectly closed but others are either open or lying on the floor. Patty and me went inside one of those houses with open door. 

  
Looking around we saw that some of the interior was still where it used to be, as people still lived there but now hasn't been touched for years. It carried the life storys of the people living there but now everything has been forgotten. Are the people once living in here still alive? Noone knows. 

  
After leaving this house we went furher into this ghost town, to the supermarket we bought those snacks in. The Windows were broken, glass laying around everywhere. There was no way we just bought something in there! The last time any purchase has been made in this place must’ve been many years ago. The shelves were still there but all it displayed were dust, dead insects and spider's webs.

  
No matter where in this town we looked, everything was abandoned. No human soul was to be seen expect for patty and me and the buildings were all decaying. You could clearly see that Nature was recapturing this place. The only ones living here were animals. Insects and spiders were everywhere and the wild bushes were full of rats and at night a lot of bats, that probably lived in one of the abandoned buildings were flying around. 

  
We had a look at everything in this town, searching for signs on what happened, why everything was normal and in a blink of an eye later it was abandoned and where the others were but all we seemed to find was decay.


	3. The Haunting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Co-created by Chantal, who can be found on Wattpad under the name 19chanti96
> 
> Me and my friend Chantal wrote this story together, which takes place during a time when As It Is and Andy Black tour the US together – all seems well, yet when Andy and Patty go get some snacks together in a small town called Creekwell, they find that the town is not what it appears to be…
> 
> Chantal writes the chapters in Andy’s POV, and I write the chapters in Patty's POV

Patty’s POV

Even though the streets me and Andy were walking on were completely devoid of people, I couldn’t help but shake the feeling that we were being followed by someone. Maybe I was being paranoid because I was shaken from everyone disappearing, but still… I was sure I felt a set of eyes pricking into my back.

It felt almost as though a ghost was making its presence known.

Oh God, it was all too much. I’d really thought this tour was going to be amazing, and now… Everyone was gone, and we had no idea where to start looking for them. We had no idea how to survive in this broken town. And I had no idea who was following us, or why.

Because even though I still couldn’t see anyone else, the feeling had not abated. There had to be someone – or something – lurking in the looming darkness.

I was thinking about how I was going to tell Andy I was feeling these things, but then he looked at me sideways and spoke up:

“You feel it too, don’t you?”

I nodded. “I think we’re being followed.”

“It seems we’re not alone here after all…”

Suddenly, Andy spread his arms wide as if to say ‘Come at me – I’m not afraid’, and stepped into the middle of the road.

“All right!”, he shouted. “We know you’re out there, so there is no use in hiding. Come out, come out, wherever you are!”

For a while, the road stayed empty, as our hearts pounded in our throats. I wondered if Andy had made the ghost angry with his taunting.

Then, I saw a sudden movement coming from behind a tree. Very slowly, as though in a dream, a figure was detaching itself from the shadows and stepping into the light.

The figure was that of a slender young man, dark-haired and with a very pale face, from which a set of brown eyes gazed anxiously. He wore black pants, and a torn white blouse which was not quite white anymore. I recognized him vaguely, but couldn’t quite place him – definitely not in the state he was in here.

He wasn’t from either of our tour busses, that was for sure.

I looked to my left and saw that Andy’s mouth had fallen open, his eyes wide and piercing. His voice trembled as he spoke:

“W-will? Is that really you? It-it’s me, Andy.”

The figure called Will nodded, and I saw his lower lip tremble as Andy rushed over to him. As Andy embraced him, tears fell down both their cheeks.

“Oh Will, I thought I’d lost you… Never disappear like that again, you hear me!”

_Will… Will… Oh!_

“You’re Will Gould, aren’t you?”, I said. “How did you get here? I heard about you going missing on Creeper’s tour… Are you here alone?”

Will and Andy broke the hug, and Will shook his head regretfully.

He spoke, his voice croaking from disuse:

“No, not alone. There is one more person in this town.”


	4. Full Of Pain, I Feel My Final Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Co-created by Chantal, who can be found on Wattpad under the name 19chanti96
> 
> Me and my friend Chantal wrote this story together, which takes place during a time when As It Is and Andy Black tour the US together – all seems well, yet when Andy and Patty go get some snacks together in a small town called Creekwell, they find that the town is not what it appears to be…
> 
> Chantal writes the chapters in Andy’s POV, and I write the chapters in Patty's POV

Andy's POV

  
I didn’t even know how to feel! For a few minutes i nearly forgot about the fact that we were stuck in a ghost town and everyone around us were gone. All that mattered was that Will was here! I never thought i would ever see him again but here he was! Standing right next to me, alive. 

  
A few months ago, as the news broke that Will went missing, i remembered their publicity stunt from 2016, faking going missing to announce their debut album. Therefore i didn’t think much about it as Will went missing. I assumed it was another stunt leading to another release. I consider them my favorite new band and they became friends of mine especially as we toured together. Will became really important to me. Coriously i called Ian, asking what kind of stuff they were gonna release but his reply made my heart fall to pieces. He reassured me that it was not planned and no stunt at all and Will actually disappeared. The weeks and months went by and there was not the slightest sign of Will. It was as if he never existed and slowly we lost all hope that we would ever see him again. We were convinced that if he was ever found, then dead.

  
“Who else is here" i asked Will, hoping he knew more than Patty and me but if he were to know how to get out of here then he wouldn’t be in here anymore, would he?

  
“Well...” he raised his quiet and shaky sounding voice. This poor guy clearly hasn’t spoken in a while and probably wasn’t even used to human contact anymore.

  
“Creeper was meant to tour the US and well as we were here, i wanted to stop here to get some snacks and the town looked so beautiful as i went in and it had a lot of vegan snacks which made me happy because i'm vegan and yeah as i went out everything suddenly looked like it does now and my band was gone! I wanted to run away from this place and look for my band mates but i couldn’t get away from here, near that sign there is an invisible wall not letting me out!” He told us and the panic in his voice couldn’t be overheard but still i had to ask him “but Will, who is the other one in here with us?”

  
“Well, it's the former mayor of this town, he never left this town and still lives in the town hall even though the town has been abandoned for many years. He's a coldhearted old man, probably in his 80s now with some supernatural powers. He hates music and whenever a musician comes near here this man lures him in here by showing this town in it's old glory and locks him in until one sings him a song he enjoys. A lot of people tried but failed. Some musicians already found death in here and their bodys were never found! I’m honestly scared to be next, all i had to eat were the snacks i bought for the band and me but i ran out of them a while ago so now all i can eat are the insects i find in here and i don’t think i can do this much longer and i Don’t know what to do anymore i sang him the entire creeper discography but he didn’t enjoy anything of it and i already wrote lyrics for an entire album and it didn’t work and noone will ever hear those songs because i won’t get out of here alive...” the tears were rolling down his cheeks and he was shaking as if he either saw a ghost or is in a freezer!

I carefully envelopped him in a great hug again. I was nearly scared to touch him because he appeard so fragile. I tried to encourage him even though i share his fears.

  
“Will, listen to me! Noone of us is going to die! Not you, not me and also not Patty! We will all team up to write one song he HAS TO enjoy! We will analyze how a man like this must feel like and write about those feelings and you can bring your fear in about not getting out of this alive!” 

  
I wasn’t letting go of Will. I was so glad he was here but it also breaks my heart to see him like this! It was as if he had given up already and Will is the person that never gives up. What has this poor guy been through that he gave up even though he never does?

  
Patty tore me out of those thoughts as he announced “i have an idea! We are 3 people! Our song shall have 3 verses and every one of us does 1 verse and we shall do the chorous together!” 

  
And with this the idea for our song was born.


	5. Still Remembering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Co-created by Chantal, who can be found on Wattpad under the name 19chanti96
> 
> Me and my friend Chantal wrote this story together, which takes place during a time when As It Is and Andy Black tour the US together – all seems well, yet when Andy and Patty go get some snacks together in a small town called Creekwell, they find that the town is not what it appears to be…
> 
> Chantal writes the chapters in Andy’s POV, and I write the chapters in Patty's POV

Patty’s POV

I couldn’t ever remember a time when I had been more nervous about writing a song – usually songwriting was cathartic for me, a way I could let all my emotions out. Now I felt them all balled up in my throat: fear, anxiety, worry.

We had to get this song right. Will was in such a bad shape that he had trouble focussing, and I saw Andy give him anxious sideways looks. He did not look as though he could survive in this town much longer – he’d definitely not survive more than one performance… So we had to get it right, we just had to!

It was even harder to write a song now that we were so very far away from the comfort of a recording studio. How could we start? We had no instruments, no mics, not even sheets of paper to pen the lyrics on… We only had each other.

But maybe that was the point. If we were going to convince this man that music was worth his time, then we really needed to get back to the essence of what music was all about. Memories of my musical journey flashed through my head: me alone in my room recording covers, touring the world with my friends, living and breathing music in every way.

Music gives me life, and I could not imagine living without it.

“Hey,” I said to the others, Will slowly trying to get some of our leftovers snacks down and Andy still giving him anxious looks. They looked up and I grinned at them both. “I think I have an idea for the chorus!”

“Really?”, said Andy, his voice full of hope.

“Yes! It should start like this _: A life without music / Is one I wouldn’t want to live at all_.”

“That’s a good start,” said Andy. “And I agree. Music is what keeps me sane, I couldn’t ever life without it.”

“It’s what’s kept me alive until now”, said Will, smiling weakly.

“If we can just get the man to realise how much better his life would be with music, if we could make him listen, then maybe he could stop his wicked ways, and feel alive again”, I said. “That’s a good line… _You will feel alive again_.”

“Imagine how he must feel without music in his life…”, muttered Andy. “ _There was a man / Bitter, old and grey…_ ”

“Yes, that’s it!”, I shouted. “You can first sing about his life now in your verse, and then I can sing about how I know he must still have some good inside, and how his life could be different. And Will, you can sing something in the middle verse, but what…”

“I can sing about how he has made me feel”, said Will, his face grave.

I nodded. “Yes, that sounds like a good idea.”

I didn’t really know Will before all of this, but I felt a wave of empathy come over me. He must have had a really horrible time here on his own – so horrible I did not even want to imagine it.

Suddenly, I enveloped him in a hug.

“You’re going to be okay”, I said to him. “We’re going to end this nightmare.”

“I’m not sure if it will ever end…”, he whispered.

“I know what you mean”, I said. “But you’re not alone anymore. We’re here for you.”

“Thank you”, said Will, his voice almost breaking. “I-I think I know what to sing now.”

“So do I”, said Andy.

“Me too”, I said. “Let’s head over there. We can discuss the chorus and performance on the way.”

And so we headed to where the man resided, Will as our ghostly guide. Our hearts were racing, and our throats were dry from fear, but we were ready.

Ready to give that man the performance of our lives.


	6. All The Tragedy Becomes A Symphony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Co-created by Chantal, who can be found on Wattpad under the name 19chanti96
> 
> Me and my friend Chantal wrote this story together, which takes place during a time when As It Is and Andy Black tour the US together – all seems well, yet when Andy and Patty go get some snacks together in a small town called Creekwell, they find that the town is not what it appears to be…
> 
> Chantal writes the chapters in Andy’s POV, and I write the chapters in Patty's POV

Andys POV

  
I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. From all performances i ever did, this was the one i felt the most excited for. But this was not the positive excitement i feel every time when i'm about to get on stage. This time it was just pure fear. Fear of fucking up and still not pleasing this man which would be the worst to happen. Wills life was pending on this one performance. Will was too weak to write another song with us. Writing this song was already draining the last bit of energy in him. If we don’t get him out of here we're going to lose him. And i knew if we lose him i would stop trying. All i wanted would be to lay by his side until the grim reaper comes to take me and i could spent eternity with him.

  
Entering the town hall where we were to find this man, we got a glance on the beauty this town once had. This building was not eaten away by decay as the rest of this town. For a moment i got lost in imagination how this town once looked like. From what i've seen as we got here, the supermarket must've been great. I also thought about what kind of people once lived here and looking at Patty, i got the expression that he felt the same as me. But Will, he just wandered through this hall. He had seen it all before the countless times he were here before in previous attempts to please this man and now this must feel like a walk through the death row, to his own execution. 

  
I was pushed back into reality as we were in front of the man. This man looked even colder as i imagined him. He was small, even smaller than Patty, who was the smallest of us. I'm 6‘3 so everyone looks like a dwarf from my perspective but if i compare him to Pattys height this man is 5‘6 at most! 

  
The man had a few grey hairs, other than that he was bold and from the way he looked like, i'd say he must be in the late 80s or maybe even in the early 90s. He was wearing a black suit, just like you expect from a mayor and Will mentioned he had once been the mayor of this town, until it was abandoned and he has some supernatural powers. If his skin wasn’t the color of skin i would've said he is the devil himself. As he saw us we heard the coldest voice we have ever heard. He said „Ah! New people! Welcome to Creekwell, your own hell with no escape" then he focused on Will „I know you! You've been here a lot of times! I'm impressed! i assumed you'd be dead by now and junges by how you look you will be soon! So show me what kind of garbage you have now! I don’t want a dead body in my town hall, so hurry up!“ 

  
I started my verse. Normally I close my eyes while singing emotional stuff but this time i couldn’t. I had to keep an eye on Will, i was so worried i could lose him any second. Also i had an eye on the man but he just stood there with his cold glance.

  
**There was a man  
Bitter, old and grey  
Poor and lonely for years  
forgot the beauty of life  
not enjoying a single thing**

  
If we weren’t forced to sing acapella the verses would have a sad melody but when it comes to the chorous where we sing a bit louder we would have the music a little heavier too. On the choruses all 3 of us sing.

  
**A life without music  
Is one I wouldn't want to live at all  
Without the reason of melody  
I would only fall**

**But with music in my veins  
Things don't seem so bleak  
So will you please  
Listen to the music with me**

  
After the first chorous there's still no sign of enjoyment in the man’s face and i could feel the hope fading and this was our only try. We knew Will wouldn’t survive another try, if he even made it through this one. The time had come for his verse but he didn’t start singing or anything. He just stood there and made the expression he'd drop dead any second.

  
Oh god please no! I can’t lose him! Especially not now but there was nothing i could do than to watch. He closed his eyes and i was waiting for his body to hit the floor. I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks. 

  
After a second, that felt like endless hours, he was still standing with his eyes closed. Will finally started singing. He was pouring all emotions that were locked inside of him all the time into this verse. 

  
**Making music, my only crime  
Still the man locked me away  
Strength left me, i'm drained  
All i have is fear of dying here  
And i would never be found**

  
There was not much left of the powerful voice he usually has. His voice sounded as fragile as his body appeard. After this we started the next chorous.

  
**A life without music  
Is one I wouldn't want to live at all  
Without the reason of melody  
I would only fall**

**But with music in my veins  
Things don't seem so bleak  
So will you please  
Listen to the music with me **

  
I could see the pokerface breaking as Will sang but now during this chorous i could swear that there was a tear in the mans eye. And after this chorous finished Patty started his verse, that finally broke the mans ice. 

  
**And i know you're not evil  
Deep inside you have a heart  
So let me sing you this song  
To help you break the ice  
You will feel Alive again.**

  
Patty had such a hope in his voice! The way he sang those words, he was just perfect for a verse like this. Patty is a literal Angel! After this verse there was just one chorous left.

  
**A life without music  
Is one I wouldn't want to live at all  
Without the reason of melody  
I would only fall**

**But with music in my veins  
Things don't seem so bleak  
So will you please  
Listen to the music with me**

  
After we finished this song it needed a endless seeming moment until the man spoke. His voice now not sounding cold anymore, he was now sounding like a lovely old man that never hurts a soul.

  
„Wow! I'm impressed! This is so good! You’re free! Go out and record and release this song! But how do you know me so well! I'm alone! My wife and me never had children and she died like 30 years ago and all i had left was my job as mayor of this town but then it started 20 years ago, everything went downhill. The number of people living here was sinking fast and a while later everyone was gone. I failed like i failed as a mayor and i thought i couldn’t do anything right and i became bitter and heartless and began to hate music because i hated feeling.“ 

  
After being silent a little while he turned to Will. „Your name is Will, right?, i'm so sorry how i treated you. As you sang about it i realized that i nearly killed you. Get out, get some proper food. Please! You need it! You need your strength back to perform. Actually we need to stick together! We have the same name! My name also is William but noone called me Will expect for my wife!“ 

  
After talking to the man for a bit we stepped out of this ghost town. Now Will had to get stronger.


	7. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Co-created by Chantal, who can be found on Wattpad under the name 19chanti96
> 
> Me and my friend Chantal wrote this story together, which takes place during a time when As It Is and Andy Black tour the US together – all seems well, yet when Andy and Patty go get some snacks together in a small town called Creekwell, they find that the town is not what it appears to be…
> 
> Chantal writes the chapters in Andy’s POV, and I write the chapters in Patty's POV

Patty’s POV

The days after we got out of the ghost town were a flurry of emotions.

God, I was so relieved to see my bandmates again! Even though me and Andy had only been in that empty town for a little less than 48 hours, it felt like an eternity since I’d seen them – so much had happened in between. Andy and his bandmates also had a tearful reunion, but the one who was the most glad to finally get out was of course Will.

No one could believe their eyes when they saw us half-walk, half-carry him to our busses! Andy immediately called Hannah and Ian, who notified the rest of Creeper – we drove Will to the nearest hospital, and his UK bandmates jumped on the first plane over to the US.

It hurt to leave Will there, but me and Andy had to move on – we still had a whole tour ahead of us! At least we knew his friends were coming to stay with him soon. He would be okay – he had to be.

The tour was amazing, I cannot describe it any other way. Never had I felt so deeply the joy of getting on stage, of being with my friends, since the very first days of As It Is. I truly breathed the music.

Me and Andy were unstoppable together – I’d imagined (or rather, hoped) that we’d grow close during this tour, but I could never beforehand have imagined the bond that we’d forged in Creekwell. It had been a horrible experience, yes, but I cannot imagine myself without it now.

At the end of the tour, which lasted for almost 2 months, we announced one more show that would follow soon after: one where we would have a special secret guest perform with us.

Tickets sold in an instant, and the room was completely packed. Lights went out, and we went on stage:

Me, Andy, and Will.

The crowd roared.

Andy began to sing: **_“There was a man…”_**

He enthralled the already excited crowd with his deep voice, a smile cutting across his face as he sang the words. He looked sideways at me and Will, and we smiled back.

Will glowed in the bright lights. You could still see the effects the town had had on him, would always have on him, but they were faded from his returning health. For the first time since I met him, I saw him smile in earnest. For the first time in many months, his fans saw him perform on stage, where he looked most at home.

When the chorus began, and all three of us sang at the same time, I felt the sound connecting all of us in that very moment. Us on stage, and the crowd dancing below.

Will’s part, brimming with emotion, sounded fierce and defiant.

When it was my turn, I sang the words with everything I had, and I meant them too. I jumped around on stage, performing the song with my whole body.

When the last chorus came, the crowd had memorized most of the words, and sang them back to us. I felt their voices course through my adrenaline-filled veins.

Together, we lived.

Together, we breathed the music.


End file.
